An Everlasting Smile
by Midnight-Waterlily33
Summary: ON HIATUS Indefinitely. See my profile for an explanation! Sorry! How long can the new student, Mikan keep the smile she's famous for, especially when she's always getting stuck with the cruelest, angriest, and unhappiest boy in school? Plus, she's got a dark secret to hide. She can't afford to break. All she really wants is to make her best friend happy.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. I'm not that creative :P They're all the creations of author, Tachibana Higuchi.  
**

**This is my first ever attempt at fan fiction, and also my first time ever sharing anything I've written with others. I'm really nervous about this for some reason. Really short for now, because I just wanted to get out a little beginning before I figure out where I'm going. Please review, even though there's not much there yet.**

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**Mikan's P.O.V.**

"_Mikan, baby, listen to Daddy. Stop worrying. Everything's just fine."_

"_Yes, sweetheart. We will see you tomorrow morning, I promise. I love you, Mikan Sakura." _

"Mikan Sakura." I see those words on an embroidered tag on the inside of my black shirt, and a matching one on the inside of my red plaid skirt. My name is sewn permanently onto my uniform, and it just makes the permanence of my fate ring true.

Some promise that was.

I think back to twelve hours ago, marveling at the fact that it was less than a day ago that I had a family, a home, and a normal life. In that little time, my life was turned completely upside-down.

Forcing back tears, I grab my uniform and hastily slip into it. _It's not like they died, Mikan. Come on and get it together. _I chastise myself mentally as I distract myself by brushing and re-styling my hair. _You're with Hotaru now; that's a good thing. And everyone will still be there, happy and alive, even if you're gone. They won't miss you too much, anyway. Grandfather promised to write you. Everything's fine, Mikan Sakura. Don't be a baby. _

I jam my feet into boots, then survey myself in the mirror and hastily tie the red bow around my neck, smiling. As long as I smiled, everything would be okay. If there was anything I was sure of, that was it. Hotaru, the only person in the world I really trust anymore, once told me to keep smiling because everything was better that way.

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"Class, this is Mikan Sakura, our newest transfer student!" Narumi-sensei, the homeroom teacher announces, patting my head affectionately.

"Good morning, everybody!" I exclaim, smiling. No one says anything. The room of kids stare at me blankly. Hotaru is sitting in the second row, and she shakes her head slowly, annoyed, as usual. In the back, there's actually one boy with his feet up on the desktop, kicked back with a manga book draped over his face.

"I look forward to spending my year with you all!" I add brightly, wanting to be as nice as possible. Something hits my forehead, and I realize someone threw a crumpled paper at me. Then something else; an eraser, followed by a gum wrapper and a pen. "Rude," I murmur to myself.

"So what can you do, Mikan-san?" someone calls sarcastically. "Fly?"

"Yeah, what makes you so special, hm?"

Suddenly, the room is filled with hollering and laughing, and stuff is being hurled at me, voices accusing me of being a fake, a liar, a loser. _What on earth? I've only been in the room for a few minutes! _

"That's enough!" Narumi-sensei screams, becoming scary all of a sudden. Everyone quiets. "I expect you all to be welcoming to Mikan-chan. She is here for the same reasons you all are. Respect her, if you please. Let's not ruin the harmony we've had so well all year. Now, Mikan, I am going to assign you a partner, who will assist you as you adjust to everything here at Gakuen Alice. That will be none other than Natsume-kun!"

At the sound of Narumi's voice, the boy with the book on his face jumps, and sits up, letting the book fall to the floor. He has hair that's black as night, that hangs just a little over his eyes, which are staring at me, making me feel naked suddenly. His eyes are bright crimson, and I can't help but to gape at them in awe.

"Natsume-kun, glad to see you're alive! I expect you will be a great partner for Mikan-chan! Please go sit beside Natsume, Mikan-chan."

Now shaky, I walk slowly to the empty seat to Natsume's left and sit. He turns to glare at me unwelcomingly, and then turns away. "Hn."

_What the heck is this boy's issue? He's so cold and unfriendly! Why is he my partner? _

I decide to fight darkness with light. "Hi," I turn to him and say cheerily. "I'm Mikan Sakura. You're Natsume-kun?"

Natsume looks at me like I've just done something unspeakable. "Why do you ask, Ugly?"

_Ugly? _"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, didn't you?"

I look at him, and I hate that I can't get words to come out.

"Whatever," he mutters, turning away.

I glare at him, wondering what I did to deserve that, and notice a boy sitting beside him looking at me with crystal blue eyes.

"Hi," I say to him and grin, because he looks nice.

The boy blinks a few times, looking like he might say hi back, and then his expression darkens, "What do you want?" he hisses, as sharply as Natsume.

I cringe. "Wow, so mean."

"Get over it," Natsume mutters, looking into his manga book.

I cross my arms, glaring away, out the window. _Great, this place sucks. Who are these guys, and what do they think gives them the right to treat people they don't even know like that? Get over it… right. How can I…_

I can't get over it, it's all so much, and it's only just begun! I can't get over it! I can't get over losing my parents, my home, my life!

_Get it together, Mikan. He was talking about something different, not all that. You need to keep a smile so people will like you. Everything will be easier after that. _

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**So there's my first ever fan fiction. Hope it wasn't too bad! Please review! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, second chapter! Also very short because there was only one logical place to leave off at the end, unless I wanted to wait longer and upload like five more pages. The next one is going to have to be long.**

**Oh, and I don't own Gakuen Alice or the characters. Just Kaori; she's a creation of my mind. But, I guess since she has an alice, she's not 100% original, but yeah.  
**

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"Hotaru, Hotaru, Hotaru!" I cry when I find her at lunchtime and run to hug her. I almost make her spill her lunch, and she shoves me.

"Careful, baka. I paid for that." She looks at me, fixing her soft amethyst eyes on me and says, "Mikan. How are you?" And she means it, which is uncharacteristic of her usual apathy.

"I'm just fine," I tell her, grinning. "Why?"

Hotaru frowns. "Stupid girl. What about what happened? Aren't you upset?"

"Well, of course," I say, deflating, looking to the ground. "But I don't really want to talk about it."

Hotaru nods, and then just turns and walks away.

"Hey, wait!" I call, chasing her. She spins and then all of a sudden, a giant hoof is an inch from my face.

"I do not wish to hit you today, because I know you're upset. But listen to me," Hotaru's voice is kind of cold. "I am here for you if you need me, but I'm not your buddy to hang out with and cling to. If you don't want to talk, then I have other things to do."

"Huh?"

Hotaru begins to whisper. "It isn't every day that someone comes here unannounced, with no entrance test, no conditions, and no clear and present alice. You're on everyone's blacklist right now, Mikan. They all want to know how and why you came here, and I know you can't even answer that question."

"That's not my fault," I murmur sadly.

"I know," Hotaru says, touching my hand for just a moment, and she's sympathetic. "But it's still a reason to hate. People aren't very accepting here. And I've just become popular around here. I can't hang around you, Mikan. I'm sorry. You can have my eggroll though."

"Thanks," I mutter, and she turns to go, leaving me alone, standing in the center of the linoleum, and them something hits the back of my head. More throwing.

"Mikan Sakura!" a girl with short black hair calls, and I turn. I realize she threw a clementine orange at me.

"What is it?" I ask, giving her a smile because I can't give in.

"What's your alice?" she demands, walking toward me. She stares at me with bright green eyes that remind me of a cat's.

"My… alice…" I hesitate. Even being a student here, I know little about alices. I know that an alice is a talent that some people are born with, and they are very rare. I know that no one here knows if I even have an alice. I'm not here because I have one; I'm here because I—well, and all the teachers and administrators—am being forced. What I know is only what one of the teachers, Misaki-sensei told me just before showing me to my room, and he was hasty and vague.

"Yeah, your alice. You know, Alice Academy. A school for alices. So what's your alice?" She stares at me, and there's a certain satisfaction in her eyes, and I know she knows. I don't know how, but she does.

"Well… um… my alice is…" I stammer.

Her emerald eyes narrow. "You don't have one, do you, Mikan-chan?"

"Well of course I do!" I blurt. Oops.

"Really?" she laughs.

"Um, just no one knows what it is yet…?"

The girl just breaks out cracking up. "Wow! So you really are a commoner! You aren't an alice at all! I thought it just had to be a rumor… that the school would let you in, I can't believe it. Tell me, did you do sexual favors for Narumi-sensei or Persona or something?"

"What?" I exclaim, but she's talking again.

"And I just don't understand why Narumi, that fool, would assign a loser with _no alice _to Natsume-kun!"

"I had nothing to do with..." I begin, but I'm cut off by her shrill scream, as a cup of soup on the table literally just dumps all over her shirt. It's like someone picked it up and threw it, but it happened by itself. I stared, mouth agape, and the short-haired girl shrieked.

"KAORI!" she hollers.

"That's my name, don't wear it out," a small voice calls, and I turn to face a girl, standing with a tiny smile on her face. She's exceptionally pale, with blond hair that looks almost white, and it tumbles down her back in little waves. She steps forward to glare at the other girl.

"Kaori-san…" the green-eyed girl says again, much quieter.

"What about _your _alice, Sumire-san? Hm? What is it? Why don't you tell us all?" the girl, Kaori challenges her, an acidic smile on her face.

Another girl that was sitting near Sumire chimes, "Hey, you know, now that I think of it; what is your alice, Sumire-san?"

Kaori laughs, suddenly very pleased.

Sumire's face turns beet red. "That doesn't matter right now."

"But we just want to know," the girl says again, smiling.

Kaori's small soprano voice distracts me, "Hey, Mikan-chan. Come here."

I walk up to Kaori and bow. "Thank you... For helping me out of that."

"Don't mention it. And I mean that; don't. Sumire-san just really likes to brag." She starts walking, so I follow her. She peels a clementine of her own and then sighs. "Because I know you're going to ask, my alice is telekinesis. Moving objects and making things happen with my mind." She stares at me with pale blue eyes that are exceptionally beautiful. I absently wonder if maybe telekinesis works on people too.

"That's what happened with the soup?" I ask.

She nods. "I also have a knack for reading people," she goes on, and then stops in her tracks, glancing at me. "Like, I know you don't have an alice. I know you're here because of something magical binds you here against your will. _And _I know it's partly because of Natsume-kun."

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**Okay, well there's the second chapter! Please tell me how I'm doing, because I'm just kind of taking a stab in the dark with this story because it's my first fan fic and I don't know what kind of story I want it to become yet. I've never used characters and settings that aren't mine. It's kind of strange! R&R please! :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! Sorry I'm kind of slow at updating. I am really scatterbrained with my writing sometimes, and I have to be inspired or it comes out like crap. So... I finally got inspired enough to finish this bit. Hope you like it!**

**Annnnd, Gakuen Alice is not mine!  
**

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"I don't know what it is exactly," Kaori continues. "So don't ask me. But there's something more complicated than you know that's keeping you here."

"Uh…" I just kind of stare at her, not knowing what to say. Something magical?

"Anyway, it was nice speaking with you. Don't let Sumire and everyone get you down. The teachers let you in, so they must know what they're doing. Ordinary people don't just get to come here." Kaori tosses orange peels in a trash can and walks out the lunchroom doors, and as she goes out, Natsume and his blonde friend come in, nearly shoving her out of the way. In response, she uses her Alice to untie the red bow around the blonde boy's neck, and untucks Natsume's shirt. All without getting anywhere near them. She continues to walk away.

"That damn bitch," Natsume growls, glaring at her as she walks away. "Ah, there you are, loser."

I stare at Kaori as she grows smaller in the distance. I can't really believe what she did to Natsume and his friend. It kind of seems like no one dares to cross them.

"I'm talking to you," Natsume's voice is at my ear, and I jump. He latches onto one of my pigtails and yanks it hard.

"Ow!"

"I came to tell you you're wanted in the staff room," he says, not letting go. "C'mon."

"I can walk without you pulling me!" I protest "I'll go there myself."

"You'll get lost."

"Then I'll ask Hotaru to show me the way," I tell him, though I'm actually not sure she would."Not you. Let go."

Natsume drops the clump of my hair, but then turns to me with a glare. "I was told to bring you personally because I'm you 'partner'," he says, annoyed. "I'm less happy than you are, believe me."

I follow him as he heads down the hallway and turns the corner to ascend the staircase. I hurry to keep up. At the top of the steps, he stops and breathes, "Here we are."

A tall mahogany door stands before us, at least three times taller than me– and way taller than any person is, really. A golden plaque reads "staff room." Natsume pulls the door open.

"Ah, Natsume-kun!" a voice immediately calls, and I see his hand tense on the doorknob, and Natsume staggers back a few steps, motioning me in front.

Tentatively, I walk into the giant room, and a tall, dark man is standing a few feet away, laughing. "Come now, Natsume-kun. Don't be so skittish. I figured they would only leave you with her."

"Persona," is the only word Natsume utters, and it sounds like acid coming out.

"I have a proposal for your dear partner," the man says, black lips curving into a menacing grin.

_"No," _Natsume growls instantly. His eyes spark with frightening rage.

Persona frowns, strolling in my direction. "Well, I think Sakura-chan should be able to at least listen for herself."

Natsume grits his teeth, a ravage expression crossing his entire demeanor, but he stays silent.

The black-covered man comes to my side, and I'm super apprehensive all of a sudden. What is Natsume-kun so tensed up about here? Who the hell is this guy anyway? He doesn't look like a teacher. He's wearing all black, including lipstick and heeled boots. There's a white mask covering his face, so that I can't even tell if he's looking at me when he purrs,

"Mikan Sakura. I have a proposal for you. I want to give you an opportunity."

I nod. "Alright."

That malicious grin returns. "Soon enough, you will be given your star rank and ability class here at Gakuen Alice. I want to make you a deal of a lifetime."

Natsume makes a sound like a snort, and there's a loud slam. His hand is gripping the doorframe, and smoke starts to rise.

"Now, Natsume-kun, control yourself a little," Persona looks to him, though I can't see his eyes to follow the gaze, and it's a little unnerving.

"You're not doing this to her," Natsume hisses, smoke erupting from under his hand. He's... he's _burning _the wood! What the hell?

My hands start to shake, so I put them in my pockets.

A gloved hand shoots down on the table beside me, and Persona flashes a mask in the shape of a cat's head. "Don't make me, Natsume. It's becoming rather tiresome."

Natsume's hand falls to his side, but he still looks hostile.

"Now, Sakura-chan," Persona says to me, almost smugly. "I wanted to tell you that you have a very special talent. I want to offer you a star rank to match."

I stare at him, nonchalant.

"Do you want to be a Special Star, Sakura?"

_Star ranks. I was told some about these as well. They range from none to three, and then there's "special." Being a Special Star is the best any student can do. It means high power and skill with their Alice. _

But I'm not one of them. I don't _have _an Alice.

"All you have to do is..."

_"NO!" _a voice roars, and a vase comes flying at Persona's head. He ducks out of the way, but Natsume is suddenly an inch away, a ball of dancing fire in hand.

I stagger backward, containing my scream. What the hell is going on? Is this Natsume-kun's Alice? I squeeze my eyes shut, dreading the smell of burning flesh, but a crash and a loud groan is all I hear, and Nastume is on the floor, crimson liquid dripping down his face.

"How dare you threaten me?" Persona bellows.

Natsume doesn't answer. He's wiped the blood away in an instant and stood back up, rings flames erupting around Persona. But a gloved fist shoots out and lands upon Natsume's jaw, and he falls again, the fire dying. Persona strangles him down to the floor and I watch in awe as he wrestles Natsume down only to slide a mask on his face.

"You're going to pay for that," Persona hisses, yanking Natsume up by his collar. I stare at the black cat mask upon his face. Somehow, all of a sudden, he's calm.

"Mikan-chan," persona's attention goes back to me, and I watch his charcoal lips moving. "I suppose now I will take my leave. Be sure to thank your partner Natsume for your new star rank. No Star."

I blink, perplexed. As if I care. No star for someone with no Alice. Sounds right to me. I swallow hard, trying to sort out anything I'd just witnessed.

"Oh, by the way," Persona chimes, grabbing me and pulling me back roughly. "You need this."

His gloved hands grab my chin and hold me there, and I squirm away reflexively. What up with the sudden invasion of space? Persona doesn't seem to care. He grunts and pulls me back, and something stabs my right earlobe, then my left. Then my right again, and again.

"Ow. What was that?" I reach up to touch my stinging ears, especially my right, and I find earrings there. One in my left and three in my right. My ears burn. I did not have pierced ears, he just shoved them right in.

"And this," he tells me coldly, not answering. His hands appear in front of my face, pressing a mask over my face. It covers only my eyes, but it has dark mesh over the eye holes, so that no one can see them. He fastens it around my head too tightly. Angry, I reach back to take it off, but realize I can't. The buckle at the back is permanent.

"What the heck?" I spin to face him.

But Persona is already gone. I think I see a shadow ducking off the edge of the roof. The stupid _roof. _He jumped off the roof and left me here with bleeding ears and an approaching headache.

An awkward sort of grunt reminds me of Natsume's prescence, and his low voice whistles. "Wow." He's standing now, and it's weird that I can't see his face. But I can see blood dripping down onto his shirt collar from the bottom of the cat mask.

"Are you alright?" I ask.

"Of course," he mutters, like it was obvious. "That's to be expected you'll realize. I just can't believe how much he limited you. What the hell's your alice? And how strong are you?"

I don't answer him. _I _want answers; I don't want to give them. "Limiting me? What are you talking about?"

Natsume sighs. "You really are clueless. Those earrings and that mask. Those are alice limiters. When you wear them, they dull you power and make it harder to use your alice. You have to be pretty strong to break the magic." Natsume reaches out and taps the screen over my eyes. "It covers your eyes. So, you have a pheromone alice or manipulation or something? Powered by eye contact? Damn strong too, I guess. He limited you more than me even."

I shake my head hard, and turn to leave. I could not be more confused about everything that just happened.

"So you can't even answer when I talk to you?" Natsume hisses, following me.

I stop and turn to him, "It's because _I don't know." _

"Don't know what?"

"Anything. What my 'alice' I'm here. What I should do. As far as I know, he's limiting a power I don't have."

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**So there's chapter three! Review maybe? :D Hope it wasn't too bad!**


	4. An Apology: And a Preview of Chapter 4!

**Hello to my readers and reviews... who, by the way, I love so much and am so grateful! I never expressed appreciation to those who have favorited, story alerted, author alerted, or reviewed, and I've been meaning to do so. So THANK YOU! :) You guys rock. I didn't think I would get even the amount of positive response that I did. So thanks a ton, guys. I promise that next chapter I will try to reply to reviews I've recieved. I'd do so now, but I haven't the time. That brings me to the reason for this ridiculously long author's note...**

**I am currently being sent off to camp for a week... meaning there won't be any new updates from me for about 8 days :( I'm so sorry! I don't leave for six more hours, so I'm going to try my best to find time today to get something, but, I'm going to busy packing and such.**

**Sooo... what I have here is a little excerpt from chapter 4. This is NOT the beginning, just to note. This is a little preview from the middle of the chapter, just because I feel bad for disappearing for a week and this is all I could manage this morning. Again, I'm really sorry!  
**

**Things are going to get a little more lighthearted for a bit in Chapter 4... but it will still make sense and fit with the story.  
**

**Alright, sorry for the rant :P I leave you now :( Sorry! And thanks again for anyone who reads and likes my stories. It means a lot! :)  
**

**~Lily  
**

**Ahhhh, I always forget! I don't own Gakuen Alice! I've already accepted that I'm not that talented; it's hard to remember to always point it out haha ;P  
**

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**Preview of Chapter Four: Natsume's POV  
**

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_That dumb girl, _I think to myself, watching as Mikan struggles and falls in the dirt, and then smiles up at other kids who pass her, laughing. _She keeps on smiling, even when she's going through all that pain. She's always so happy. Why can she do that? Does she even know sorrow at all? _

_ I wonder if it's a facade._

"Hey, baka," I say, coming up to her. "Maybe you should calm down and think."

"But…" Mikan says sadly, standing up. "I have to hurry. If I don't get this done by noon, I'll never prove myself and… and…" Her eyes start to fill with tears, and she turns away.

_Okay… _I sigh heavily and then grab Mikan by her waist and hoist her up on my shoulders. "There. Now you think you can do it?"

"Oh… um, yes." Her voice is embarrassed.

I hold her up on my shoulder and move along the building as Mikan washes all the windows. She finishes, and it's only 11:45.

"Oh… wow. Well, thank you, Natsume. That helped." I think she is blushing, but I'm not sure.

I nod. "Well, go show Jinno, Polka Dots."

"Oh, right!" she beams, but then stops and asks, "What do you mean, 'Polka Dots'?"

I just stare at her, one eyebrow raised, smirking. What can I say, it was too easy at that angle. Mikan blushes a new shade of red when realization hits her, and she looks down, smoothing her skirt.

"Natsume!" she cries. "You… you…? Jerk! Pervert!"

_That's my name, don't wear it out. _It's actually kind of nice to hear something other than screams, squeals and compliments from a girl.

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**This isn't the beginning or the end. Just a little scene that will be in there somewhere. Alright. I leave you guys with this. And yes, I feel like a jerk for doing so! Sorry! :) Be back with the best update yet in a week, I promise!**


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